Toys R Us to offer 'hot toy' reservation program

It's still summer, but the holidays are heating up at Toys R Us.

The largest specialty toy retailer outlined a plan for its busiest season Wednesday — including adding a “hot toy” reservation system, beefing up services like layaway and ship-to-store, and offering more exclusive toys like its $149.99 Tabeo tablet.

In the biggest change, Toys R Us will offer a “hot toy” reservation system that will run through the end of October. Toys must be reserved in stores — to avoid online scammers, CEO Jerry Storch said — and customers have to put down 20 percent to reserve the toy. Once reserved, customers will receive an email notification when the order is available.